Capturing and Delivering the Ever-Elusive “Value”

Upcoming Talk for The Future Is Now || Legal Services 2017 Conference. This is an effort by the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism's 2Civility Initiative to bring together lawyers and others in the law to discuss innovations in the delivery of legal services.

My talk is "Capturing and Delivering the Ever-Elusive 'Value'"

Lawyers and law firms have been struggling to define and deliver “value” for a long time. Individuals want value, and corporate legal departments are demanding it. But beyond excellent legal work-product and price, most are challenged to truly define value in crisp and easily understood terms. In an era of increased competition, the legal professionals who deliver a measurable value can and will win more often.

One way practitioners are showcasing their value is through process and journey mapping. While not new to other industries, mapping the customer journey is relatively unheard of in the legal arena. It looks beyond the core work-product deliverable and explores the entire relationship between the client and the lawyer. The SeyfarthLean approach uses both lean and design techniques to distill legal matters down into a simplified process, eliminating redundancies, and increasing efficiency while lowering costs all while ensuring the client experience is enhanced.

Is the current model lawyers and law firms have in place still effective? Are there ways to better serve our current and potential clients? Can incorporating new business models or even a project management system help lawyers better serve the public?